Outraged dog owners protested on November 11 in Beijing against the city's "one-dog policy."

Recent enforcement of the policy, which has been on the books for a few years, is an attempt to contain the spread of rabies. The rules allow only one small pet dog per household in many parts of the Chinese capital. Dogs are also banned from public spaces such as parks, schools, and shopping centers.

The police department has denied rumors of officials beating dogs to death to enforce the policy, according to the state-owned Xinhua News Agency.

Animal-welfare groups argue that a better way to prevent rabies would be to enforce inoculation of animals against the disease.